1. Technical Field
The present invention relates generally to gas turbine and rocket engines and, in particular, to a hot section that includes a vane with a flame holder surface.
2. Background Information
Gas turbine and/or rocket engines may include one or more engine hot sections such as, for example, a combustor section and an augmentor (afterburner) section. Such hot sections are typically configured to (i) inject fuel into a core gas flowing through the section and (ii) ignite the injected fuel with a flame to generate thrust.
One type of gas turbine engine hot section includes a plurality of bluff body flame holders. Each flame holder may include a flame holder vane. The flame holder extends radially between an inner duct case and an outer duct case, and extends axially from a leading edge to a flame holder surface at a trailing edge. The flame holder surface is typically configured with a constant circumferential surface width. The surface width may be sized to maintain a flame that extends radially between the inner duct case and the outer duct case adjacent to the flame holder surface. Typically, the surface width is oversized in order to increase flame stability. Over sizing the surface width, however, may also increase the surface area of the flame holder surface and thereby the weight of the flame holder vane. There is a need in the art, therefore, for a hot section vane configuration that may increase flame stability while also decreasing vane surface width and vane weight.